Art education in the early years :)

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What’s Love Got To Do With It?

The process of drawing has always been something therapeutic for me. I can organize my thoughts and ideas by transferring them onto paper. Even doodling silly pictures on the corner of my notepad can change my mood and gives me a sense of pride in what I created.

Paper Therapy

Drawing is not something that is reserved for the greats. It can be silly or serious, dark or happy. It can consist of two lines rolling across paper or be a full landscape with trees and fields.

One thing I learned about drawing is that you do not need to sweat the details. You draw because you love it and your imagination can make it whatever you want it to be.

To start my own drawing I took random items from my bag to give me inspiration and so that I had a concept of what I wanted to draw. By picking random items, I learned that it was not what you were drawing that mattered, but the process of conceptualizing and creating that gave drawing importance.

At this point this picture was all about getting rid of the details. It was about creating an open space for your imagination to take over and fill in the missing details. It was one continuous line that silhouetted what my main inspiration was.

Whoa! This drawing took a totally opposite direction. What you see is not what you are constrained to draw. Drawing is about flowing thoughts onto paper and creating something totally unique and personal to you. If everyone drew just to please others it would be a very boring world.

Doing this exercise taught me a lot about the point of doodling on a scrap piece of paper or sketching a still life scene. The point is about fostering a love for something that can be something as simple as doodle therapy as it is with me. It should never be about how impressive your final work is, but what it can do for you while you are drawing.

Children need to learn how to love drawing. There is this idea in our society that if you do not produce perfect pieces then you should not be doing art. This is completely discouraging for so many children and those that once had a love for scribbling on a sheet of paper stop, because they now feel embarrassed and scrutinized by others. As educators we need to block out that voice of society! We need to not be ashamed of our stick-men drawings and show the children that it is OK to draw as long as you love it. We also need to get them excited about the process.

Why is the person standing so far away?
Such dark colours! What does that mean?
I like how you used both pastels and acrylic paint, it really makes the trees stand out!

These are all comments and questions that can get children thinking about why they chose to draw certain things instead of worrying about getting that A+.

Using lines to define the contours of the image.

The element of lines: It can be considered a moving dot that forms marks on a surface. It is an entirely man-made product and comes in endless variety. The element of line fosters creativity and imagination as it is so limitless.